


A Fair Trade

by wesawbears



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-23
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-10-23 03:04:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10710843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wesawbears/pseuds/wesawbears
Summary: A Foxhole Court Beauty and the Beast AU, actually based more on "The Tiger's Bride" by Angela Carter. Nathan gambles Neil away. Neil couldn't be happier to leave.





	A Fair Trade

Nathan Wesninski was utterly unforgiving. 

The people in town knew well how Nathan made his living. He never lost a game of cards and those who couldn’t pay simply wound up dead. The village was a den of seedy characters, overrun as it was by gangs. Most people blamed it on someone they called “The Beast.” He lived in an enormous estate on the outskirts of town and though he was their ruler in name, he didn’t intervene in village affairs, preferring to let the citizens kill and swindle each other as they pleased.

Which was why the whole town shuddered when they saw his cloaked figure enter the town, accompanied by three of his men. Nathaniel was busy cleaning a table when the group entered the town and he put down his rag, but didn’t drop his gaze. He wanted to see the creature for himself.

As they approached the bar, the creature himself didn’t speak, but one of his men said, “Our master wants to play a game of cards.”

Nathaniel watched as his father walked over to the group. He grinned his dead smile and Nathaniel bit down on his cheek to avoid the phantom feeling.

“I’m not stupid,” Nathan began, “I know who you are and that you have more money than I could dream of having. I won’t play a game I’m sure to lose something of value on.”

The creature spoke up then, saying, “I have no need for your money.”

“Then why are you here?”

The creature glanced over at Nathaniel, but he could see a face behind the cloak. “Shall we play for him?”

Nathaniel’s eyes flashed flashed with anger at being treated like a mere object, but kept his mouth shut to avoid incurring his father’s wrath. He wasn’t surprised in the least when his father agreed.

\--

A short while later, Nathaniel found himself on a horse en route to his new home. Though he was curious about his surroundings and companions, he stared directly ahead. He would not panic and he would not be afraid. He had faced worse demons than this in his life. And while he loathed his father, his mother was a Hatford and as long as her blood ran through his veins, he would not behave like a caged animal.

No one spoke to him for the duration of the trip and Nathaniel was relieved when they approached a large castle on the edge of the woods. He remembered the tiny room above the tavern that he shared with his father and thought that there were worse prisons than a castle. If he had room to run, he would survive.

They boarded the horses outside and he followed the cloaked figures into the main room of the castle. Once inside, the three travelling with the creature lowered their hoods.

“Ugh, I thought I was gonna die under there!” one of the men cried. He was medium height with tan skin and curly hair.

The tallest one scoffed. He had a tattoo under his eye, though Nathaniel couldn’t tell what it was of. “Shut up, Nicky.”

Nathaniel didn’t bother with any of them and instead headed straight to the so called beast himself.

“Take your hood off,” he demanded.

Without turning around, the creature replied, “What will you give me if I do?”

Nathaniel refused to be intimidated. “What do you want?”

“I don’t hold prisoners. If you want to leave, I won’t stop you. But if you do, I won’t show you my face. If you choose to stay, I’ll take off my cloak.”

Nathaniel put the pieces together. “It was never about me. You were testing my father.”

“He was a weak man. He failed.”

Nathaniel considered the offer and thought of what lay behind him, a past of terror and emptiness. Out of curiosity or madness or the fact that he had nothing left to lose, he said, “Take off your hood and come into the light.”

As the creature lowered the garment to reveal his face, he saw only a man.

“You’re not a monster at all.”

The other man’s answering smile was a twisted thing. “Are you so sure? Don’t be deceived by your eyes.”

Nathaniel moved closer. “I have seen monsters and I am not afraid of you.”

When the man, didn’t answer, Nathaniel pressed on, “Can I know what to call you?”

He paused. “Andrew. And you?”

He grinned. “Neil.”


End file.
